Fixed Star Alkaid Talismans for Protection & Relation

The traditional benefits of Alkaid talismans all have to do with security: protection from enchantments and sorcery, safety in travels, “and if the tooth of a wolf be added,” either protection from (or profit to those who would be) “ravishers” depending on the source, which Christopher Warnock has interpreted as robbers and thieves but which may extend to all kinds of ill intention (quotations are from the Quadripertitus version of De Quindecim Stellis).

Perhaps it is because of our relational perspective and our attention to the land, or perhaps it is because we made a considered replacement (supported by divination) of the traditional stone of Alkaid (magnet) for Healer’s Gold, but the experience of Idola Stellarum mages of these talismans has been a bit broader and more encompassing.

In the context of the Summit collection, these Alkaid talismans are the bones of the earth that anchor the mountain in place and provide the essential support for the mountaintop, which would not exist apart from the springs and streams, the deep caves and grottos, the paths and wilds, the forests and ferns, the stones and the dirt that establish (from the Latin stabilire, ‘to make firm’) the summit and its essential context.

Getting to the summit requires enough security to weather the journey. Enjoying the view requires confidence you will not fall.

Protection comes in many forms: a shield can repel attacks, a weapon can fight off danger, and of course one can always run or hide. But what of the kind of protection that comes from there not being danger in the first place? How might we think about that?

The fern on the forest floor does not invite disturbance from hikers partly because it’s just part of a seamless whole. Part of being safe from “ravishers” such as pickpockets when you are traveling is having a calm, considered awareness and ability to blend in, to appear local.

These Protection & Relation talismans put us in mind of the kind of protection that comes from belonging. Situated in the Tail of the Great Bear, Alkaid comes to us as a kind of protective Mother Bear. But the kind of protection She affords is more encompassing, like that of Mother Earth: the kind of Relation that affords Protection that stems from being so deeply woven into the whole that no one would try to tear you away as a component part. No wonder that the traditional stone of Alkaid is the magnet: the stone that draws other stones to it. Connection is hidden at the heart of Alkaid’s significations.

Another association worth mentioning is Alkaid’s close tie to mourning: as the Daughter of the Bier and Chief of the Mourners, Alkaid has an intimate relationship with how the living relate to the dead. When we see mourning not simply as pain, but an intimate process of coming into right relationship with the dead, we can begin to understand how these ritual connections work toward the healing of wounds and the continued connection to ancestral spirits (not just of body, but of place and of community) that affords us rootedness. When we weave the losses of the past into our lives, our history no longer haunts us—no longer exists as a danger.

At a general level, the Protection & Relation Alkaid talismans seem to work off of the principle that protection may come from being more deeply integrated with our ecosystem, rather than separating ourselves from it and hermetically sealing ourselves away from its dangers.

These talismans, in our experience, seem to encourage attending to and getting to know the land and its many fields of awareness, being respectful of and sharing protection with the spirits of place, and deepening connections that can afford us belonging and security. In that sense, these talismans could be seen as the more terrestrial counterpart to their sisters from the Summit collection, the Alcyone Vision & Insight talismans. 

NOTE: Because of the nature of these stones (which are almost never sold in calibrated sizes) and the settings (which adapt to the contours of the specific stone), each talisman is visually quite different from the others. If you order an Alkaid talisman, you will receive a randomly selected talisman from among the selection we have available. For the range of variation, please see the image below. Note that we cannot honor special requests as to which talisman you do or do not receive; please trust that the spirit who wants to belong with you will be the one to arrive. 

Technical Details

These fixed star Alkaid talismans were ensouled on the morning of Tuesday, July 5, 2022 between 11:34am and 11:59am EDT.

Essential Features of the Election

For fixed star astromagical elections, we require that the relevant fixed star either rises on the Ascendant or culminates on the Midheaven. In this election, the fixed star Alkaid, at 27^◦14’ Virgo, was rising and the working took place while Alkaid was within 2^◦30’ of the Ascendant.

Fixed star elections also require the Moon to be in sufficiently good condition and applying to the relevant fixed star. Idola Stellarum only uses lunar conjunctions to fixed stars. In this election, the Moon was essentially unafflicted, moving slowly but speeding up, and was waxing and almost completing her first quarter. Luna applied to a conjunction with Alkaid within less than an astrological degree.

Although we consider the condition of the Lord of the Ascendant to be a lesser factor in fixed star elections due to their austere nature and remoteness from the sublunary realm, we always examine the Ascendant Lord for all elections since the first house represents the bearer of the talisman. In this election, Mercury was the ruler of the Ascendant sign of Virgo, and was essentially unafflicted in Cancer. Mercury was just separating from a sextile to Mars, leaving this malefic influence behind. 

Note that for fixed star talismans, planetary hour and day are not essential considerations. It was a welcome but marginal bonus that this election kicked off during Moon hour, as the Moon is one of the planets associated with Alkaid.

Further Magical Factors of the Election

Luna’s mutual reception by domicile with the ascendant ruler Mercury, who was also culminating, tied the major players of this election together harmoniously. 

Reflection on Weaknesses of the Election

The one negative factor in this election was that the Moon’s next aspect was a square aspect. As above, the mutual reception with Mercury was a nice mitigation, but a more harmonious aspect would have been more ideal. Otherwise, this was a fairly by-the-book fixed star election, with few complications or bells and whistles.

Finally, we note for completeness that some mages consider the Moon on the Ascendant to be an affliction. However, we emphasize that both Picatrix and De Quindecim Stellis list copious electional recipes that include the Moon rising on the Ascendant, and we therefore conclude that the tradition clearly licenses proceeding with astromagical elections that include this condition when divination supports doing so.

Recommendations

We consider these Protection & Relation talismans to be fairly beginner friendly and do not have any specific cautions.

Ceremonial Details

Gemstone & Talismanic Image

The stone associated with Alkaid is the lodestone or magnet, which are not so easy to find in forms conducive to making gemstone talismans. After much research and divination, Healer’s Gold (also known as Apache Gold or African Gold, depending on where it is sourced) was chosen as a suitable replacement. As a blend of iron pyrite and magnetite, this stone is structurally similar to lodestone and has associations with the Moon (pyrite is an acceptable lunar stone in the tradition). The stones are beautiful and enchanting, besides.

The talismans were engraved with the image of a bull, one of the traditional talismanic images associated with this talisman. On the back, the name ALKAID as well as Agrippa’s sigil of Alkaid were engraved. A mixture of the herbs associated with Alkaid—mugwort, periwinkle, wormwood, and chicory root—were blended together before the ritual and affixed to the back of this talisman. To this mixture was added ethically-sourced powdered wolf’s tooth, ground down by hand, since Alkaid talismans are said to protect from “ravishers” (which Christopher Warnock interprets as robbers and thieves) “when placed with the tooth of a wolf.”

Ritual Setup

An altar graced with clean, white linen and fresh white flowers was established prior to the working, with food offerings fit for a bear. Fresh water and spirits with symbolic links to Alkaid were also provided: seven white candles arranged in the shape of the Ursa Major constellation provided an offering of fire, and decorative cards featuring Alkaid’s sigil established her territory.

Suffumigation

Initial incense offering consisted of the highest quality royal Hojari frankincense, as well as a mixture of herbs associated with Alkaid, namely mugwort, periwinkle, wormwood, and chicory root. This herb mixture was then used to suffumigate the talismans.